Count Zero by William Gibson — Ace SF 1st PB 1987

📖 Count Zero by William Gibson (1987, Ace Science Fiction) — the first paperback edition of the second novel in the Sprawl Trilogy, following Neuromancer. A copy in Very Good condition with no reading creases and a sturdy, secure binding.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: William Gibson (b. 1948), American-Canadian writer credited with coining “cyberspace”
• Publisher: Ace Books / The Berkley Publishing Group, New York
• Year: 1987 (First Ace Science Fiction Edition, April 1987 printing)
• Format: Mass-market paperback, no dust jacket
• Pages: 256 | ISBN: 0-441-11773-2
• Original Price: $2.95 US ($3.95 Canada)
• Condition: Very Good (VG) — full report below

THE STORY

Set in the Sprawl — Gibson’s vision of the Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis — Count Zero weaves three intersecting storylines through a near-future world of corporate warfare, black-market software, and rogue AIs. The novel was first serialized in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine (January, February, March 1986) before the hardcover publication. Bruce Sterling called Gibson’s prose “high-tech electric poetry,” and the novel expanded the cyberpunk universe established by Neuromancer, introducing voodoo imagery, bioengineered “razorgirls,” and the fragmented post-human consciousness of the Tessier-Ashpool dynasty.

THIS EDITION

The first Ace Science Fiction paperback edition, published April 1987 — thirteen months after the original Arbor House hardcover (March 1986). This copy is the mass-market paperback printing, containing the complete text of the original hardcover edition, reset in a new typeface designed for readability and printed from new film. Originally priced at $2.95. The copyright page shows a single printing line: “Ace Science Fiction edition / April 1987.”

COVER ART

The cover features artwork by Richard Berry — a dark, abstract, cyberpunk-styled composition dominated by blacks and grays with accents of muted reds and oranges. The title “COUNT ZERO” appears in large metallic-gold lettering with a horizontal striped texture, giving a retro-futuristic digital feel. The back cover carries blurbs from Bruce Sterling (“William Gibson’s prose, astonishing in its clarity and skill, becomes high-tech electric poetry”), the Philadelphia Daily News (“Potent and heady”), and Locus (“A vividly imagined future”), along with a Village Voice quote on the front: “Gibson distills a technopunk sensibility with a kick of white lightning and the clarity of white light.”

WHY IT MATTERS

• Second volume of the Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer → Count Zero → Mona Lisa Overdrive), the series that defined the cyberpunk genre
• Gibson’s Neuromancer won the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards — the first novel to achieve the “triple crown” of science fiction
• Count Zero was serialized in the 100th issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine (January 1986), a milestone issue for the publication
• Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy predicted virtual reality, the internet, and digital culture before they existed in mainstream reality

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? First Ace Science Fiction paperback edition, April 1987. The copyright page lists the Arbor House hardcover (March 1986) as the original edition and this as the Ace Science Fiction paperback reprint.

What condition is it in? Very Good (VG) — no reading creases, sturdy binding, age-toned text block. Full condition report below.

Is the cover art by Richard Berry? Yes. The copyright page credits “Cover art by Richard Berry.” The front and back covers feature his distinctive dark, abstract cyberpunk artwork.

FOR COLLECTORS

This first Ace paperback is the definitive mass-market edition of Count Zero — the edition most 1980s and 1990s readers encountered. Copies with clean covers, no reading creases, and intact spines are becoming harder to find as the 40-year-old paperbacks continue to age. The dedication page opens with a Pablo Neruda quote in Spanish: “Quiero hacer contigo lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos” (I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees).

Condition Report

Overall Grade: Very Good (VG)

Cover & Spine: Cardstock covers show minor rubbing to edges in places. Spine is flat, not curled or creased. Small diagonal crease at front board lower corner. No reading creasing on either cover.

Dust Jacket: N/A

Text Block & Pages: Ever so slightly age-toned text block (uniform light wood-color), internally very clean, no loose, torn or folded pages. If this book was read, it was done so very, very carefully. Block is slightly cocked from poor storage placement.

Binding: Sturdy, square, and pages are securely attached.

Shipping

See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

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